Conor Benn denied chance to fight for world title immediately after Ryan Garcia KO

The WBO has announced it will not sanction a middleweight world championship fight between titleholder Denzel Bentley and Conor Benn. Bentley had expressed interest in defending his belt against Benn to secure a high-profile, lucrative commercial matchup. However, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri confirmed the fight is not happening because Benn is unranked and coming off a recent defeat.

Benn was stopped in the second round by WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia in his previous bout. Bentley must instead fulfill his mandatory defense against Yoenli Hernandez, which was ordered by the WBO on September 5. Both promotional camps have been given 20 days to negotiate and reach an agreement for the mandatory bout.